Social Media Sites Look to Grab a Slice of Election Day Viewers

Hoping to build on their initial success during the presidential debates, social media sites Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Snapchat are all vying to grab a slice of the Election Day viewers.

Facebook will partner with ABC News, and Twitter will join up with BuzzFeed for live election coverage.

YouTube will offer a stream from Complex News, which will broadcast from Google’s YouTube space in New York.

Snapchat, which has been growing rapidly, especially among millennials, will feature live coverage in the stories feature of the app.

According to the company, during the first Republican primary debate almost twice as many 18- to 24-year-olds watched Snapchat’s debate coverage than live TV.

Facebook will also target millennials through NowThis, which will livestream election coverage all day long on its Facebook page with comedian Jordan Carlos hosting, branding their coverage “No Sleep til POTUS,” and staying live until the election is called.

For cord cutters, watching election coverage via social media is perfect. They can do so on their various portable devices, which may result in higher overall interest in the election results since most people—especially millennials—seem glued to their devices 24/7.

As for the social media sites that aren’t partnered directly with news gathering organizations, the challenge is in bringing the breadth and depth of coverage that broadcast and cable news networks provide in order to maintain viewer interest.

In any event, it will be a historic night no matter the method used to view the results.